THE military are a group of henchmen used to do someone else's dirty job, says the president of the Arya Samaj Pratinidhi Sabha, Kamlesh Arya.
Speaking for the affirmative team at a debate on whether the People's Charter was good for Fiji, Mr Arya said the military should not be blamed for today's problems.
He said Fijians lost their self-respect after the 1987 coup and whatever was left was of it was totally lost in the 2000 coup.
He called for a deep soul searching on why the military carried out four coups.
Mr Arya said the military was manipulated by those with vested interest.
"All of us opposed the 2006 coup but what do we do? What did the Fijian community get out of the 1987 coup?"
When the question on how coups could be avoided, Munro Leys lawyer Richard Naidu said there was no way it could be done because coups were unlawful. He said even if the commander maintained there would be no coup, it was not enough to stop another uprising.
"We have a charter, people wringing their hands and saying no more coups," said Mr Naidu for the negative team.
He said the People Charter promised to bring about doing things in a better way.
Video and transcripts of the People's Charter debate
